ASPECTELE ISTORICE ALE ŞTIINŢEI CABALA

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

The origin and time of the emergence of Kabbalah is considered to be one of the most difficult issues in its history. Anyone who has ever tried to tackle this question agrees that this topic is a constant object of dispute. Some scientists claim that Kabbalah is a new creation dated XII-XIII CE, while there are others who state that Kabbalah appeared much earlier. Both of these views are valid and can be fully explained because they are based on different approaches towards the investigation of the history and writings of Kabbalah. The question regarding which point of view has priority is practically irresolvable. The likely starting point of the tradition is in fact way beyond the historical periods for which we can establish a chronology that would have at least a certain degree of accuracy.

One of the hypotheses that Kabbalists, those who attain the Spiritual World, adhere to is that Kabbalah, as a science about the surrounding Universe, dates from the ancient Chaldean (Mesopotamian) city of Ur. The chronicles of that time recount the story of a Mesopotamian resident by the name of Abraham, who was the first to research the relation between the perception of the surrounding reality and the volitional development of a new, sixth sense.

The method of such a development received the name “Kabbalah” and began to spread among Abraham’s descendants and disciples. With time the group grew to become a nation of around 3 million people. People were not becoming part of the nation by birth; only the adherents of this method were joining it. Thus, it is impossible to call this group a nation, based on the features and definitions of „what the nation is”. This was simply a group of Kabbalists, meaning, a group of investigators who researched that which was attained and sensed in the sixth organ of perception. The group started to call itself the „The Nation of Israel” after all of its members at the same time acquired an adequate sensation of the world in the sixth sense. What is said here so commonly represents a new approach to the history of humankind, and only a psychological inertia prevents us from adopting this perception of ourselves and of the world. The members of this Kabbalistic group developed an additional perception of the Supreme reality in their children, who took it quite naturally.

This continued until a certain historical point in time, when the entire group instantly lost the ability to perceive the Supreme reality (the explanation of this historically indispensable moment will be presented below). Until that moment, the nation had constituted a group living in the sensations of the Upper World. However, after the sensation of the Upper World was lost, the group turned into an ordinary nation. But since the group’s existence is only justified by the degree of the spiritual perception, it ceased to be a special phenomenon in the world. On the contrary, it immediately acquired the corresponding form of a nation scattered among all nations of the world. Without the sensation of the Upper World this group had no right to call itself „the Nation of Israel”, that is, nation, living by the laws of the sixth organ of perception, where Israel means „Yashar – El” (translated from Hebrew „aspiring to the Creator”). Having lost the sensation of the Upper World, instead of the spiritual actions the group began to practice their physical interpretation, continuing to use the names of spiritual actions.

The development of egoism – the necessary stage in the history of the development of mankind

In accordance with a constantly growing desire to be filled with more pleasure, or as Kabbalah puts it, with the growth of egoism in every generation, humanity strives to satisfy its desires. This determines our progress, change of state formations, social relations, way of life, technological advancement, cultural development, etc.

Our history began with the appearance of a human being with an egoistical desire to receive of zero degree (coarseness, depth). This is a tiny desire, in which the person only feels an impulsive urge for the bodily pleasures that are present in an animal: sex, food, family and limited environment. Humankind has been developing in this desire for thousands of years.

As the desire was growing more and more egoistical, the time period of its realization and replacement with another one was contracting accordingly. In our life we can observe a dramatic speed of transformation, whereas a hundred years ago the same change would have required a lot more time.

When the person started evolving from his bodily desires to those of higher levels, he went through cravings for wealth, honor, power and knowledge, until the fourth stage of the will to receive (a spiritual desire) came along. Thus the desires:

  • of the body,
  • for wealth,
  • for honor and power,
  • for knowledge and
  • for the spiritual

supersede one another in the process of the human evolution.

Today we have come to a stage that the Kabbalists have described since the emergence of the wisdom of Kabbalah in the 20th century B.C. They assert that from 1995 and on, humankind will feel an inner urge to spirituality, because man exhausted all of his previous desires in many consecutive incarnations. His egoism has developed sufficiently and although all his previous desires are still present in him, the spiritual aspiration prevails over the rest. The person begins to feel that nothing else can really fill him anymore.

It is said in the book of Zohar that by the end of its development, humankind would come to the realization that the Upper world is in fact the realm in which we are destined to exist. Then why could we not understand it before, and only now begin to feel this desire? Such an opportunity to develop, starting from the level of original egoistical desires, existed long before the age of the ancient philosophers of the 8th – 10th centuries B.C. when the Zohar had been written. For a number of reasons, Kabbalah could not demonstrate the need for correction of egoism at every stage of its growth to the nations of that time. Ancient philosophers studied Kabbalah, but it was not accepted as a practical method of correction of human nature, so the world continued evolving by the power of its uncorrected egoistical desire. The book of Zohar (3rd century A.D.) clearly states that it would be concealed from humankind till the end of the 20th century, when human egoism grows so tremendously that people will realize how evil it is. On the other hand, man will not be able to find anything in this world that will somehow fill his egoism. Both of these sensations will compel him to listen to the advice provided in the wisdom of Kabbalah.

A will to receive pleasure constitutes our essence. It is called soul. How can it be filled? This desire to receive pleasure feels five kinds of filling through our five senses:

  • sight,
  • hearing,
  • smell,
  • taste and
  • touch.

Through these five “openings” in his body, man receives information from outside and absorbs it with the help of his mind, memory and brain analytical systems in accordance with his education, character, mood, momentary whim and many other human peculiarities. He then either enjoys it or suffers from it, subsequently attracting or repelling it.

Any research of what is outside the person is accumulated inside him. Man is absolutely unable to transcend himself and feel the external reality. We can only expand the range of our natural senses, increase their sensitivity, and broaden their perception by using a microscope or a telescope in addition to our own eyes, sonar instead of our ears and so on.

Although everything is constantly changing in the world, my five senses remain the same. Whatever new devices and instruments we may design and whatever knowledge we may acquire about our body, we would always be confined to mere reactions pertaining to what is outside of us. At the end of the 20th century, scientists finally exhausted the existing system of learning. By researching everything inside ourselves and by registering his reactions to something external, man cannot possibly control his reality and existence.

Natural sciences teach us that every living cell or a whole organism should bring itself in balance with its environment in order to survive and exist. Its inner properties should be harmonized with the outside reality. It is obliged to comply with the homeostatic principle. In the absence of such equilibrium, an organism feels discomfort or even perishes.

From this principle, it transpires that acquiring the knowledge about the outer world beyond our bodily sensations, the way it really is, will enable us to become similar to it and thus achieve an optimal state of existence.

Hence, the logic of a developing desire becomes clear: passion for knowledge is the strongest among the earthly desires and precedes an aspiration to the spiritual. This is because it leads man to the necessity of attaining the Upper world, demonstrating to the person that he cannot survive without it. The knowledge of the laws and nature of the Upper world will give people a chance to get acquainted with the forces of nature that affect them. Provided we enter homeostasis with them, our existence will become perfect.

One of the consequences of reception of the spiritual information will be disappearance of the notion of time. We will acquire absolute knowledge of the future and control our destiny. Today’s science understands the need to go beyond our five senses, but lacks a method of such an inversion. It discovers the fourth stage of its approach to the research of reality.

  1. For thousands of years, the development of science has been based on the assumption that there exists some objective reality observed and researched by man. Even if there is no observer, reality continues to be. In classical mechanics, events occur regardless of an onlooker. Reality objectively exists whether I perceive it or not. Similarly, traditional quantum mechanics only analyses the changes that take place in an object itself.
  2. Further analysis leads us to conclude that this is not exactly so: our perception of reality depends on us. Einstein introduced a velocity correction pertaining to an onlooker. This merely takes into account the processes that occur in the universe and that have no manifestation in man’s daily life.
  3. An observation of any object happens to be an interaction between the observer and the observed object. At that, the observation immediately transforms the inner state of both the observed object and the observer. It is impossible to speak of the researched object without taking the researcher into consideration. The changes in the object will always be determined by the changes in the observer. A change of condition not only depends on the information, but also on the observer. Probability is as characteristic of the future as it is of the past, because it is conditioned on the observer’s personal psychological time. Hue Everett was the first to demonstrate this by mathematical calculations in his article “Formulating quantum mechanics through the notion of ‘corresponding state’”. In other words, in his theory of quantum mechanics, both the object and the observer change their state.
  4. A higher perception of the object is based on the fact of invariability of the entire universe, on the oneness of Cause and Purpose, on the uniqueness of the property of the Upper force – goodness and bestowal. All the changes take place only in the observer, in his dual property of reception-bestowal with regard to the only property (bestowal) of the Upper force. Only the comparison of these properties generates the creature’s self-awareness and the sensation of the surrounding world. That is, the perception of the universe is made up by two influences on man:
  • The invariable law of absolute bestowal,
  • The creation that keeps constantly advancing towards similarity to the Upper force.

From this, it also follows that the absolutely perfect Upper force has created man in all the magnificence that befits it and in perfect harmony with its own properties, for if it is perfect. It cannot possibly create something imperfect. So our mind makes it incumbent on us to understand and accept the opposite to what we observe and decide that we are really perfect, eternal and majestic creatures well matched with the Upper force that created us.

Moreover, all the exalted properties are bound to emerge from our current low and insignificant ones. Therefore, one should look at the end of an action, and from it attain the entire conception of our creation.

Kabbalah adheres to the fourth approach: there is no reality in the absence of an observer! Outside of man there is only the so-called Upper light, some supernal force. This light is one, unique and homogeneous. There is nothing in it, and whatever the person perceives is just the result of his reaction to this external invariable influence. By changing his own properties, the person feels a changing environment, although all the transformations occur within him. In other words, reality is but a copy of man’s inner properties.

If the person becomes similar to the Upper force in its property of bestowal, his sensations transcend the bounds of his desires, stops depending on life and death of the body, on space, time and movement. Modern science is ready and willing to adopt this approach, hence the age-old, long-forgotten wisdom of Kabbalah resurfaced at this time.

The wisdom of Kabbalah suggests that we should not be dealing with the earthly human properties, because they cannot be corrected directly. However, the very difference between our properties and the spiritual ones evokes in us the sensation of suffering.

The wisdom of Kabbalah makes this offer: if the person wishes to achieve perfect existence, he must copy the spiritual law of bestowal in himself, so that the outer and the inner laws would become equivalent.

Historically, in the course of our development (i.e. growth of an egoistical desire from level 0 to level 4) we oppose ourselves more and more to the Upper law of bestowal. While being on levels 0, 1 and 2 our opposition is not too extreme. However, after reaching levels 3 and 4 of our egoistical development, which coincided with our time, we become an exact antithesis of the Upper force and expose ourselves to much greater sufferings than ever before. These sufferings are of a different character; they manifest as depressions, disorientation and fear of destruction.

For further development of sciences, their various representatives should begin to closely co-operate with the Kabbalists. This way at least two amazing opportunities will be open to us:

  • By theoretically studying the wisdom of Kabbalah, one will be able to transpose its conclusions and laws onto other sciences and thus reveal new connections and patterns in them,
  • By practically transforming one’s properties in similarity to the Upper force, any scientist-turned-Kabbalist would receive a miraculous opportunity to apply his knowledge of the Upper world’s laws to his science in this world, and thus advance in his field both theoretically and practically.

There is an urgent need to create an integral science with its institutes, specialists, etc. Up to now we have been attaining the world within ourselves, more or less broadening the scope of our sensual perception. The wisdom of Kabbalah opens before us the outer reality; with its help we discover the laws that affect us. As much as the person can equalize his inner structure with the outer force, so will he be able to use it for his benefit.

By connecting research of nature with the achievement of equilibrium with its general law, we will return to the point where the ancient philosophers parted with the Kabbalists and went their own ways. From now on we can continue together.

During the last few centuries, materialistic psychology began to develop instead of philosophy. The science that studies our properties, feelings and outlook exposed limitations of our perception and proved that we only perceive everything within ourselves. This brought up a chance to understand what Kabbalah offers: to transcend the bounds of our senses.

Similarity of properties with the general force is achieved step by step. Gradual comparison of man’s properties with the Upper force’s characteristic property of bestowal is referred to as ascending the levels of the spiritual worlds AssiyaYetziraBeriaAtzilutAdam Kadmon and finally the world of Infinity, where we reach absolute equivalence with the Upper force (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

This ascent includes 125 levels: 5 worlds containing 5 Partzufim with 5 Sefirot in each of them. All in all these are 125 degrees of comparison between man’s properties and the property of bestowal of the Upper force. The person can positively influence himself and his surroundings to the extent of his similarity to the general law.

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

ESENŢA STIINŢEI CABALA

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

What is the basis of the science of Kabbalah?

The science of Kabbalah is a cause-and-effect order of descent of the Upper forces. It submits to invariable and absolute laws that are interconnected and aimed at revelation of the Upper force (the Creator) to man in this world.

The Law of the General and the Particular

The law of the general consists in the fact that at the end of its development humankind is destined to reveal the Upper force and completely attain it.

The law of the particular asserts that even before all of humanity achieves such a perfect state, certain individuals in every generation can accomplish this task.

Plurality of Spiritual Bodies, Sefirot and Worlds

The science of Kabbalah studies ways of achieving the ultimate purpose – man’s similarity to the Upper force. Consequently, it studies the structure and interconnections between multitudes of spiritual bodies.

To make this clear, let us take for example a small animal, whose role is confined to subsistence and survival for a period of time necessary for reproduction, thus ensuring continued existence of the species. While researching it, we discover that it constitutes a complex conglomerate consisting of thousands and thousands of fibers and tendons. Physiologists and anatomists have ascertained it as a fact, although many thousands of other such conglomerates still remain unknown to man.

By analogy from this example we can understand the variety of multiple combinations and connections that we need to learn in order to reach the ultimate purpose.

Two Paths: from Up Down and from Down Up

The science of Kabbalah is divided into two parallel paths of attainment of the Upper force. They are equal, the only difference between them being that the first path descends from up down to this world, whereas the second path begins in this world and ascends along the same levels that were formed by the first one. The Upper roots descend from above along the first path and gradually manifest, therefore Kabbalah calls it “the order of descent of the worlds, Partzufim, and Sefirot”. The second path is referred to as “the attainment of the Upper force”.

While attaining the Upper force, man must ascend along the same path, gradually apprehending every detail and each level in complete accordance with the laws that were established during the descent of the Upper force. The complete attainment of the Upper force is a gradual process. It is perceived in man’s sensations during a certain period of time and depends on the pace of purification of his egoism, until he attains all the properties of all the descending levels.

Consecutive attainment of all spiritual levels is predetermined; each subsequent attainment being higher than the preceding one. This resembles rungs of a ladder.

Abstract Terms

Many people mistakenly assume that all the names and notions used in the science of Kabbalah are abstract. This erroneous view appeared because Kabbalah studies the Upper world that transcends time and space, the realm that can only be perceived by someone who has mastered the Kabbalistic method.

Since very few people master this wisdom and attain the Upper world, many a man believe that whatever concerns the Upper worlds is a number of abstract categories totally detached from reality.

In fact, everything is quite the contrary: Kabbalah describes nothing that does not reflect the reality attained by Kabbalists. The stringent Kabbalistic law states: “Only the true attainment can be described and named. Whatever is unattained cannot be defined by words”.

An attainment in Kabbalah means a higher level of understanding. Kabbalists refer to attainment only when a clear and tangible realization is achieved. Otherwise, they use different definitions, such as comprehension, knowledge, etc.

Reality Comprised in the Science of Kabbalah

Similarly, there are things that we perceive in our material reality whose essence we are unable to grasp even in imagination. Let us take for example such phenomena as electricity and magnetism. Who will say that they are unreal, while our knowledge of them is quite satisfactory and the fact that we have no idea of their essence is totally irrelevant. Their names are so real and familiar, as if we can actually feel them. Even small children know the word “electricity” as well as “bread” or “sugar”, etc.

Furthermore, as little as we can attain the essence of the Upper force, the essence of beings created by it is equally unattainable. All the material objects that our hand can touch are attained through actions, which provide us with an impression as a result of our senses’ interaction with them. This satisfies us completely, despite the fact that we know nothing of their essence. Nor do we attain our own essence; all we know about ourselves is a sequence of actions that stem from the essence.

Hence all the terms and definitions found in Kabbalistic books are real although we cannot attain their essence. A person is quite satisfied with his complete knowledge, although only the actions are attained. This attainment is achieved as a result of interaction between man and the Upper force.

However, this is quite sufficient for us, and we do not feel any lack of knowledge as we do not feel any need for the sixth finger being perfectly content with five.

The Difficulty of Describing the Upper Attainment

We cannot express the notions of the Upper world by using the sounds and letters of our world because our vocabulary is a reflection of what we perceive in our senses. It becomes crucial when we need to put into words the accurate knowledge that was received by way of discussions. This is a usual kind of research typical for this science, and a Kabbalist has to use very precise definitions in order to pass the relevant information.

The Law of Root and Branch in the Worlds

The universe consists of four worlds called in their descending order AtzilutBeriaYetzira, and Assiya. From the highest world of Atzilut down to our material world of Assiya all of them have the same structure absolutely identical in all the details. Reality and all of its manifestations existing in the first world are present in the next one below it without any changes. The same is true with all the subsequent worlds down to the material world we perceive.

The only distinction between the worlds consists in the quality of material they are made of. This quality determines each world’s level so that the material of the highest world is the “thinnest” as compared with the lower ones. The second world’s material is “coarser” than that of the first, but “thinner” than the subsequent lower levels. This order continues down to our world, whose material is “coarser” and “darker” than in all preceding worlds.

Yet objects and forms in each world are similar in all their details, both in quantity and in quality. This resembles an imprint of a seal, where every slight detail of the seal passes on to the imprint. The same is true with the worlds: the lower world is like an imprint of the one above it. All the forms existing in the higher world are imprinted in the lower one.

So there is not a slightest detail or phenomenon in the lower world that is absent in the higher one. This is called “the root and the branch”, and it means that every detail in the lower world constitutes a branch, a copy of its root, its original in the higher world. This detail originates in the higher world and is imprinted in the lower one. In other words, the root called “fate” compels it to grow both qualitatively and quantitatively and to acquire the qualities inherent in the seal’s imprint. This law of root and branch is in force in each world, in all manifestations of reality with regard to the higher world.

The Kabbalistic Language of Branches

The language of branches means that it was created according to commands and instructions received by the branches in our world from their roots in the Upper world. There is nothing in the lower world that does not originate in the higher one. A root in the Upper world compels a corresponding branch below to take its form and acquire its properties.

From a connection between roots and branches Kabbalists created a vocabulary that enables them to speak about the Upper world’s spiritual roots by using the name of their branches, which are clearly perceived in the sensations of this world. This makes it possible for the receiver of information to attain the Upper root because the material branch, being the result of its root, precisely points at it.

This way every object of our world provides us with an accurate name that refers to its Upper root, although the root itself, being beyond any imagination, cannot be named by word or sound. However, owing to the presence of branches perceptible in this world, verbal expression of the Upper roots has a right to exist.

This is the essence of the Kabbalists’ spoken language with the help of which they share their attainments with one another, passing them from generation to generation, both orally and in writing. Their mutual understanding is quite sufficient because it possesses an adequate degree of accuracy that is necessary for the research in this science. Kabbalists set such a precise and failproof framework because every detail has its unique name inherent in it alone, hence it precisely indicates its spiritual root.

Passing Knowledge from Teacher to Student

The words uttered by a teacher cannot render any supreme knowledge that is beyond time, space, and movement. Only “the language of branches” is able to express the interconnection between branches and their Upper roots.

However, only the person who sees the interconnection between branches and their roots can understand this language. The root-branch connection cannot be attained from down up, i.e., by looking at the branches below it is impossible to discern any analogy to the Upper roots or imagine it with the help of fantasy. On the contrary, one should first attain the Upper roots, and only then will one be able to see the connection between each branch and its root in the Upper world.

Only after discovering and attaining the connection between the root and the branch, will man acquire a common language with his teacher-Kabbalist. The language of branches will enable the teacher to pass to his disciple all the nuances of his wisdom and the information about the Upper worlds that he received from his teachers and attained by himself. This is because now they have a common language and can understand each other.

But unless the student knows this language and sees the connection between roots and branches, the teacher has no way of explaining to him even a single word of the Upper wisdom. While having no common language, they will not be able to talk about the Kabbalistic research. In other words, there is no way to pass the knowledge of Kabbalah to the person who neither knows nor understands.

But how can the student attain the knowledge of this language all by himself? This can be accomplished with the help of Kabbalistic books that will gradually usher him into the perception of the Upper world. Only upon attaining at least a minimal level of the Upper world and having mastered the language of branches on that level, will he be able to receive the wisdom from his teacher-Kabbalist for now they have a common language.

“Rude” Names in Kabbalah

From the above we may understand why Kabbalists use such words as “kiss”, “coition”, “embrace”, and “childbirth” to express very exalted ideas. It transpires that this science cannot be explained by any other language than “the language of branches”, which most accurately indicates the connections between each root with its corresponding branch. Thus it is impossible to reject any of the branches due to the baseness of its level, and stop using it for the description of connections in Kabbalah, because no other branch in our world can substitute for it.

If we decline to use some name, it will lead not only to the loss of the corresponding spiritual notion, but will also very seriously harm the science as a whole. In that case, one of the links in the chain of the wisdom will fall out and upset the interconnection between all the links.

We should not be surprised by the use of “indecent” words because in this case we have no freedom of choice and must not replace an indecent word with a more decent one. Kabbalists are obliged to be accurate in using a branch that clearly points at its Upper root. Besides they must provide a detailed explanation, formulate a precise definition sufficient for the students.

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

ESENŢA DOBÂNDIRII SPIRITUALITĂŢII

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

We distinguish among many levels and many distinctions in the (upper, spiritual) worlds. And it is known that when one speaks about levels and distinctions, one speaks (only) regarding the souls’ comprehension of what is received from these worlds; according to the principle that what one cannot comprehend, one cannot know by name and that is because the word ‘name’ connotes comprehension; it’s similar to a person who names something after having comprehended some characteristic in it, according to his (depth of) comprehension.

On this (principle) the totality of existence is divided with regards to spiritual comprehension into three distinctions:

1) Atzmuto (the Unattainable Essence, „The Blessed Self”) – it is beyond words and speech. The reason is that the root and origin of the creatures begins from the Thought of Creation; that is where they are included in the secret of „What ends in action, begins in thought”.

2) The Endless denotes the Thought of Creation – „He desires to delight His creatures, in the aspect of Endlessness” (endless delight).

And that is the connection that exists between the Upper Force and The Souls. This connection is understood by us in the secret of a desire to delight the creaturesThe Endless is the beginning of the activity. And He is called „Light without a Vessel” for there begins the root of the creatures, i.e. the connection that exists between the Creator and the created called His desire to do good to His creatures. This desire begins from The World of Infinity and extends until the World of Asiya.

3) The Souls. The recipients of delight, existing in a desire to delight the creatures.

The Endless is named so because this is the connection that exists between Atzmuto and The Souls, that we (the creatures) understand as the secret of a desire to give pleasure to His creatures. And outside of this connection of a desire to give pleasure we have no words. And it is there that the activity begins. And it is called Light without Vessel; yet, it is there that the root of the creatures commences, i.e., the connection between the Creator to the creatures that is called His Desire to delight His creatures, and this desire begins from the World of Infinity and extends until the World of Asiya.

And all the (Upper) worlds as they are in themselves are as Light without a Vessel, and there is no speaking of them. And they are regarded as in the same aspect as Atzmuto. And thus there is no comprehension of them that would not be vis-a-vis the Souls.

Do not be surprised that we distinguish there (in the worlds) many distinctions, and this is because these distinctions are there in an aspect of potentiality, that afterwards, upon the arrival of The Souls, these distinctions then become manifest to The Souls that receive the Upper Light according to their degree of correction and readiness. Then these distinctions are revealed in actuality. However, as long as The Souls do not grasp the Upper Light, then everything as they (the Upper worlds) are in themselves is considered to be the same aspect as Atzmuto.

And vis-à-vis the Souls that receive from the worlds, these worlds are discerned in the secret of The Endless. That is because the connection that exists between the worlds and The Souls, i.e., what the worlds bestow to The Souls, this is continuous from the Thought of Creation, that is the aspect of a relation in common between Atzmuto and The Souls, and this relation is referred to by the name The Endless

And all plurality of the names are only vis-à-vis the recipients, therefore, the first name that was made manifest in the secret of Root of the creatures is known as Atzmuto. And the manifestation of this name remains without any change at all. All restrictions and multiplying of the differences are done only vis-à-vis the recipients. And He shines always with the First Name called His desire to delight His creatures endlessly. And that afterwards there is a termination, this is a correction for the sake of the recipients that they may receive the Light.

The Upper Light is composed of two aspects: the one who comprehends, (a soul), and a concept (light, an idea that is comprehended). And everything that is said with reference to the Upper Light is only about the comprehending soul’s being effected by the idea. However, each component is by itself alone, i.e., the comprehending soul alone, or the idea (that is comprehended) alone; are not either of them called by the name The Endless. Rather the idea (alone, without a soul to comprehend it) is called by the name Atzmuto, and the comprehending soul (alone, without an idea to comprehend) is called by the name Souls — which is a new aspect, that is separate from the whole. And it (Souls) is new in that there is implanted within it (something new, i.e.) a desire to receive. And because of this (new) manifestation the creation is called Yesh mi Ain (Existence from Absence).

And vis-à-vis themselves the worlds are defined as a simple unity – there is no differentiation in the Upper, in the Spiritual- that is the secret I the Lord (God, the tetragrammaton) do not change. And in God, the Sefirot and manifest aspects are irrelevant. Even the names that are most subtle do not name the Light as It is in Itself – for the aspect of It’s own Blessed Self is beyond comprehension. Rather, all the Sefirot and distinctions (in the upper worlds), one speaks of them only from what man can comprehend of them. Because The Blessed Creator desired that we comprehend and understand the flow (of His Light, the Light of the Upper Worlds, His beneficence) to us in the secret of His desire to delight His creatures.

And in order that we be able to comprehend what He desired that we comprehend and understand in the secret of His desire to delight His creatures, He created and gave us these senses, and these senses perceive the Upper Light’s effects.

And with this there were made and measured out for us many distinctions because the general (universal) sense is called Desire to receive and it is divided into many many particulars according to that measure the recipients are fit to receive. With regards to this there are many categories and details that are termed (spiritual) ascents and descents, ecstasy, withdrawal (from the body), and the like.

And being that the desire to receive is called „creature” and „a new manifestation„, therefore, precisely from that place where the Desire to receive begins to become excited – from there speech begins. And speech is differentiated by distinctions in excitement (verbs). For here (where speech is relevant) there exists already a side in common between the Upper Light and the Desire to receive.

And this is termed Light and Vessel. However, with respect to Light Without a Vessel, speech is not relevant, as discussed above. For Light that is not an idea to be comprehended by a recipient is then distinguished as The Blessed Self, for there speech not permissible because comprehension is not possible. And that which is incomprehensible, how is it possible to give it a name?

And from this we understand that appeal to the Creator has two aspects:

1) The Creator. That denotes Atzmuto, here speech is not permissible, as discussed above.

2) That which emanates continuously from Him, that denotes the Light that extends into our vessels, i.e., into our Desire to receive; it is this that is named The Endless. This is the connection that exists between the Creator with the creatures, that being the manifestation of His desire to delight His creatures. Thus, the Desire to delight denotes the Light that extends because its (the extended Light’s) end is the Desire to receive.

And while the Desire to receive receives the Light that extends, then the Light that extends is called by the name The Endless, and it comes unto the recipients through many coverings in order that the one below (on earth) be able to receive them.

Thus according to this, all the distinctions and differences are relevant specifically to the recipient with regards and according to the recipient’s (degree of) excitation from them (the Light that extends onto the recipient). But we need to understand the perspective of the speaker – when speaking about the distinctions in the (Upper) worlds – one speaks of distinctions in potential, and when the recipient comprehends (attains) those manifestations, then they are spoken of as actually existing.

Spiritual comprehension is that the comprehending soul and idea that is comprehended join together. For without a comprehending soul – there is no form for that idea that is (to be) comprehended, since there is no one to receive the form of the idea that is (to be) comprehended. Therefore this aspect (of a formless idea) is distinguished by the name Atzmuto, and there is no place to speak at all. And it is irrelevant to say that the idea that is comprehended received some form from itself. And we have nothing to say but from a place that our senses are excited by the Light that is extended, which is a manifestation of His desire to delight His creatures, and it comes onto the recipients in actuality.

And this is similar to our looking at a table. Then, according to our sense of touch, we feel that it is a hard thing. And so too its width and length, and all of it according to our senses. But this is not to say that the table must appear thus to someone with another sort of senses, for example, an angel, when gazing at the table with his eyes, sees it according to his senses. Therefore, we do not have any set form (of the table) with regards to the angel, because we have no knowledge of his senses…

And from here, it’s axiomatic that we have nothing to say about the form of the worlds according to Him; we only comprehend the worlds according to our senses and our feelings. And this is the interpretation of: „There is no change in the Light”. Thus, all the modifications are in the vessels, i.e., in our senses; for all is measured according to our notions. And from this you can infer, that if many persons gaze on one spiritual thing, that each one of them comprehends it according to his notion and his senses. And therefore, each one sees a different form. And similarly, in the person himself the form changes according to his own positive or negative states of mind. As mentioned above that the Light is a simple Light, and all the modifications are only in the recipients.

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

DIFERENŢA DINTRE ŞTIINŢA CABALA SI RELIGIE

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

Religion assumes that the Creator changes His attitude to the person depending on the person’s actions. The science a Kabbalah however states that the Upper Force is invariable, and the actions of a person can in no way affect it. Instead, the person’s actions can change himself. He will be able to perceive the Upper Governance differently, if his own changes are aimed toward greater resemblance. He will be able to perceive the Creator as kind and good. By increasing the difference between his properties (reception) and those of the Creator (bestowal), he will feel the Creator’s attitude as more negative.

There are many expressions in the Kabbalistic texts indicating the invariance of the Creator’s attitude towards the created beings: “I do not change My Name” (“Ani HaVaYA lo Shiniti”), “He is good and bestows goodness upon His creatures, good and bad (“Tov ve Metiv le Raim u le Tovim”), “the Upper Light is absolutely static” (“Ohr Elion Nimzta be Menucha Muchletet”).

Therefore, a prayer is called self-judgment or self-analysis. This is when a person does not appeal to the Creator but judges himself instead and analyzes himself with regards to the Upper invariable force. (See the explanations in the “The Introduction to the Study of the Ten Sefirot” about the path towards the purpose of creation. As the person changes, he corrects himself relative to the invariable and Absolute Creator).

This attitude towards himself and towards the Creator constitutes the difference between Kabbalah and religion. Even though religion calls for certain personal changes, religion is based on pleading with the Creator. In this world religions are similar to the most ancient beliefs, which extensively practice bribing the Upper forces of nature.

Kabbalah is rejected by religions as mass religion is based on the conviction that a person need only ask the Creator and everything will change from above to his advantage as the Creator will turn His face to him. That is, a believer is convinced that the Creator exists and governs everything. In order for anything to improve, one need only ask the Creator instead of changing himself. Religious masses interpret inner changes as performing good deeds, such as helping others out of compassion, but not changing one’s nature and making it similar to the Creator.

A conviction in the change of the Creator’s attitude to the person leads to envy: who is treated by the Creator with greater love and who is more “divinely chosen”. It causes antagonism to arise not only among people, but also between religions. The representatives of various confessions dispute whose prayers the Creator is inclined to answer more willingly.

Kabbalah asserts that the Creator is invariable. In the process of a person’s correction, they deserve to see an improvement in the invariance of the Creator’s attitude. Therefore the more corrected a person is, the more they will justify the Creator’s actions. Kabbalah states that instead of praying one should rather be changing. Consequently, Kabbalah evokes hatred from the religious groups as it indirectly accuses them of hypocrisy.

To better understand the attitude of Kabbalists to the Creator, we can take a look at a Kabbalistic prayer-book. It contains no ordinary words that express human emotions. Instead, it consists of numerous symbols designating spiritual actions that the person should carry out while correcting himself, to consequently receive the Upper light. This is the difference between the notions of a religious God and the Kabbalistic Creator.

The Kabbalistic study of the structure of the universe gives a person a clear idea of the Creator, whose properties are at the very top of the spiritual ladder, and of himself who is at the bottom of this ladder. The rungs of the ladder represent the various worlds. The purpose of creation is to independently ascend and merge one’s desires with those of the Creator.

This ascent involves an inner change of the person’s properties from an egotistical intention in all of his thoughts and desires to an altruistic intention. Man ascends the rungs of the ladder, each one characterizing a degree of similarity to the Creator.

Naturally, studying the structure of the universe in such detail prevents a person from imagining that his relationship with the Creator is dependent on his requests. Imagine a perfect parent in our world. It is obvious that a child can not evoke any additional love for himself by any of his actions as parental love is eternal and perfect. The external projection of this love (the perception of the child) depends solely on the states that a person must go through in order to become acquainted with the whole of creation, to gain experience, and to become equal to the Creator.

From this it follows that even the desirable transformation we can make in ourselves and consequently feel the Creator’s unfailing good attitude to us can in fact be hardly called correction. This is because we must go through all the levels, extreme states, changes, and sensations in order to acquire the experience and ability needed to feel the entire universe from end to end.

Correction only means our attitude towards whatever occurs to us. When, regardless of what happens, we evaluate and accept everything that happens as being absolutely beneficial, this arouses a sensation of happiness and pleasure. This leads to a situation when a person discovers that nothing really changes at all except his attitude towards the constant state he exists in. He was created in this state and has always existed in it.

It goes without saying that the study of Kabbalah provides a concept of creation and of the person’s place in it that naturally deters him from prayer. Yet it is the most important and central act in religious practices and everything else is organized around it.

In this case the wisdom of Kabbalah naturally directs the person towards inner reflection and transformation, which alienates him from performing rituals and following any religious injunctions. That is why all religions oppose Kabbalah, and Judaism leads this opposition.

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

MINTEA CREATIVĂ

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

The reason for creating man in the state, which he is destined to achieve at the end of his development, is his similarity to the Creator of merging with Him. All of nature’s laws are only aimed at the realization of this purpose. Man’s merging with the Creator occurs through reaching equivalence of form with Him, making man’s properties similar to the Creator’s.

Every person is obliged to achieve the purpose of his creation (i.e., merging with the Creator) in one of his incarnations in this world.

But why should similarity to the Creator lead to merging with Him? We can understand it through the following example: every action stems from the mind of the person who acts. The joiner’s mind and craftsmanship is present in the table he makes, because he uses his mind in his work. Therefore, by looking at the table one attains the craftsman’s mind, for during his work his action was one with the mind.

When the person contemplates the Creator’s action, he comprehends His mind. The one who attains the actions, with which the Creator created the world and its order, merges with the Creator’s mind. This means he merges with the Creator. Hence, it is said that man reveals the Creator’s names – His manifestations in creation, and thus merges with Him.

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

CONDITIILE DEZVĂLUIRII SECRETELOR ÎNŢELEPCIUNII CABALA

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

There are several reasons for keeping the Kabbalah secret:

  1. „There is no necessity”
  2. „It is impossible”
  3. „It is the private secret of the Creator”

There is no single detail in the Kabbalah that is not covered by all of these three prohibitions.

1. „There is no necessity” This implies that there is no point to disclosing the secrets. This would only be possible if there was some immediate benefit to be gained by society. Otherwise, it would only be met with a reaction of „so what.” This would be the reaction of people who believe that the Kabbalists deal with and make others deal with matters of no importance. This is why the Kabbalists took as students only those who were able to keep a secret and not disclose it unless absolutely necessary..

2. „It is impossible” This means a ban on the disclosure of the secrets because of the limitations of the language. This language (ours) is not capable of conveying subtle spiritual concepts. All of our attempts to explain with words are destined to fail and lead the student astray. Thus in order to be able to disclose these secrets, permission from above is necessary..

Permission from above This is mentioned in the works of the famous Kabbalist named AR”I. There it is said; „Know that the souls of the great ones are filled with an outer (surrounding ) or inner (filling) light. And those whose souls are filled with the surrounding light have the gift of telling the secrets. They do it in such a way that an unworthy person will not understand them.”.

For example, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai had a soul filled with such an outer light. He had such power that even when he appeared in a congregation, he was understood only by those who had received the instruction from above to write in the book of the „Zohar”. There were some Kabbalists before him who knew more. However, they did not have his ability to put spiritual concepts into words.

So it is clear that the presentation of the Kabbalah does not depend on the level of knowledge of the Kabbalist. Rather it depends on the qualities of his soul. According to them, he receives his instructions from above to disclose a certain part of the knowledge. And so we cannot find any sort of fundamental work on the Kabbalah before the „Zohar”. Those works that we do have include only vague and unclear hints. From the time of Rabbi Shimon the only one who was permitted to „open” another part of the Kabbalah was Rabbi Ari. Again it is possible that some Kabbalists before Ari knew much more but they did not get the permission from above. Since the appearance of Ari’s books, all of the people dealing with the Kabbalah have left the other books and have studied only the „Zohar” and Ari’s books..

3. „It is the private secret of the Creator” The essence of this ban is in the fact that the secrets of the Kabbalah can be revealed only to those who are faithful to the Creator and who respect Him. This reason for concealing the Kabbalah’s secrets is the most important one. Too many charlatans have used the Kabbalah in their own interests. They have made prophesies, given charms and have thus lured trusting people. The initial concealment of the Kabbalah was done precisely for this reason. True Kabbalists have therefore taken upon themselves to check their students very strictly. The very few people who were allowed to approach the Kabbalah in each generation were under the strictest of oaths. They were prohibited from disclosing even the slightest, most negligible detail which came under the three mentioned bans.

We should not think that this division into three bans divides the Kabbalah itself into three. No, every part, every word, every term comes under these criteria for concealment. These three criteria are constantly in action in this science..

However a question appears. If indeed this secret wisdom is so deeply hidden, how did all those different writings about it appear. The reason is that there is a difference between the first two conditions of secrecy and the last one. The last condition is the one that carries the greatest importance. The condition of „It is not necessary” too often can change because of external circumstances and become „It is necessary”. For instance, this can happen due to the development of mankind as a whole, or because of the permission given from above. This permission was given to Rabbi Shimon and to the Ari and to a lesser extent to others. This is why we receive some authentic books about the Kabbalah from time to time..

This is also the manner in which I received my knowledge from my teacher. I received it under the same strict conditions, to guard and to conceal. However, because of the reasons that were mentioned previously in „The Time to Act ” The condition of „It is not necessary became transformed to „It is necessary”. And so I am disclosing one part while still concealing and guarding the other two, as I have been sworn to do.

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

CUVÂNTĂRI DESPRE SPIRITUALITATE

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

IN MEMORY OF KABBALIST RABBI BARUCH ASHLAG, 1995

The Creator acts upon us using the various elements of our world. Man must understand that events occurring to him are nothing but messages from the Creator. If man responds correctly to divine action, he will clearly grasp what the Creator expects of him and he will feel Him.

Not only does the Creator act upon us through the people in our environment, but he uses everything which exists in our world. The structure of our world is such that the Creator can influence us and draw us nearer to the goal of creation.

We hardly ever feel the presence of the Creator in the daily situations we need to face. This is because our attributes place us opposite to the Creator and make it impossible for us to feel Him. As soon as man acquires attributes similar to those of the Creator, he begins to feel Him proportionately.

When hardships befall us we need to ask ourselves the question: „Why am I getting this and why is the Creator doing this to me?” Punishments as such do not exist although many are mentioned in the Torah. There are only „incentives” forcing man to progress toward what he selfishly feels.

The awareness of things is only an ancillary mechanism which helps us to properly understand what we feel. Whenever we picture our life as a gigantic classroom with the omniscient Creator acting as a teacher and lavishing on us the knowledge we are prepared to receive, it progressively awakens in us the feeling of the Creator in our newborn spiritual sense organs.

The Creator has made a ladder for our ascension. It is a moving ladder. This ladder appeared in Jacob’s dream and was described by Baal HaSulam, rabbi Yehuda Ashlag, and his son Baruch Ashlag.

We turn our backs to the source of knowledge symbolized by this ladder and only through our efforts will we manage to turn around and start moving toward the Creator. This is why the Creator sends us teachers and books as well as study companions.

The student who follows the teachings of Kabbalah lives in the physical world but is overburdened by his selfishness. This is why he cannot properly understand the wise sages who are physically close to him but who also evolve in the spiritual worlds. If the student can leave aside his reasoning and, his opinions, and follow the ways expounded by the writers of authentic books of wisdom, he may be able to bond unconsciously with the spiritual.

We do not see and feel the Creator in our world and it is therefore impossible for us to make our selfishness surrender to Him. The thoughts of a teacher or a master can penetrate the student and induce faith in him. This corresponds with the teacher’s spiritual AHP(Awzen (ear), Hotem (nose), Peh (mouth), representing the vessels of reception), coming down to the GE (Galgalta ve Eynaim, representing the vessels of bestowal) of the level below (meaning the student’s).

Rising to the level of the master’s AHP means bonding with his wisdom and his thoughts. Likewise if a student delves into the AHP of a text of wisdom, he rises temporarily and the spiritual is revealed to him. Whenever we read the works of the righteous, Baal HaSulam, or Simon Bar Yohai, we bond directly with them through the Surrounding Light, Ohr Makif. We are then enlightened and our vessels of reception purified.

While reading, it is important to bear in mind the stature of the author. Whether he is alive or dead does not really matter. We can always bond with him using our feelings when studying his works.

There are many paths leading to the Creator and He uses many means to act upon us. Any difficulty or obstacle on the student’s path, in particular the death of a master, may be considered an opportunity to transform oneself at an individual level.

A TALK AT A DINNER OF THE HOLIDAY OF SUKKOT, 1995

All corrections taking place within the Partzuf ZA of the World of Atzilut which is man’s prototype in our world, are included in a spiritual process named „Sukkot.” Man, the spiritual vessel, the soul, is similar to the state of ZA in the World of Atzilut. The Light that the soul receives comes from the interaction of Bina, ZA and Malchut in the World of Atzilut. Yehuda Ashlag said: „The Sukka reunites two concepts: the covering roof made up of small branches and vegetal residues. Similarly if man can build a protection against pleasures, from Above he will discover the Creator and His glory.”

When man builds the roof of the Sukka he symbolizes the construction of the screen (the Masach) which enables him to reflect the pleasure procured by the perception of the Creator. This work is called „MAN de Ima,” it is like a prayer to receive the strength to oppose selfishness. If man’s prayer is sincere, the strength is sent to him and he can receive the Divine Light with the help of a screen. This Light is the Light of wisdom and understanding, Ohr Hochma.” This Light carries all information about man’s present spiritual level and the degree reached as well as the „hows and whys” of events occurring to him. Once man has understood the attributes of this spiritual degree he bears the name of this degree. Each new higher degree he reaches will correspond to more perfection and new names as he moves up. During this process new attributes are acquired.

The mission of souls incarnating in our world is to reach the level that they stood on before descending and entering the flesh of the body. It is man’s task during one of his lives, in spite of the opposition of his body, to return to the root of his soul, the spiritual level he dwelled on before his soul’s incarnation. Some souls only need to rise back to their former level. In this case their path, the one along which they rise, is composed of 6000 degrees called „years,” hence the notion of the world’s 6000 years of existence.

There are also some special souls who not only need to return to their former level but carry on their progression through the worlds of ABYA and reach the level of the Partzuf of SAG in the World of Adam Kadmon. This level is named „7000 degrees” or „7000” years. They may also reach the level of the Partzuf of AB in the World of Adam Kadmon named „8000 years.” Or even higher the level of the Partzuf of Galgalta named „9000 years.” Finally some souls reach the level „10,000 degrees” or „10,000 years” and their knowledge and perception enable them to penetrate the World Without End, Ein Sof. Such souls will incarnate only once in tens of generations. Mankind has witnessed very few of these souls. The great Kabbalists possess such a soul.

Observing the commandment of building the Sukka symbolizes the fusion at the highest level between the Creator and creation. How does this all happen? ZA which comprises 6 Sefirot provides the orientation according to the origin of the Light: North, South, East, West, Above and Below. Malchut receives the Light from the Sefirot of ZA, from its 6 attributes. This is why the Etrog is first applied to the Lulav opening the door for the blessing to be pronounced. This concerns the observance of the commandment of the Sukka and the Lulav. A person performing a commandment must not believe that with mechanical gestures, he will accomplish spiritual actions. This is never the case. Man cannot accomplish anything spiritual with the help of his hands, feet and lips! A true spiritual action only takes place when man draws a screen against his selfish desires, opening himself to the Divine Light and dedicating this pleasure to the Creator.

The feast of Sukkot lasts 7 days, in the image of the light entering the 7 Sefirot of ZA of Bina. Each day corresponds to a spiritual degree/level, a new light in a new Sefira. The 7th day, when light is transferred from ZA to Malchut, is called „Simchat Torah” also „The Joy of the Torah.” This phase corresponds to the gathering of all the light received by Malchut and which descends into the souls and the general light called „Torah.”

This light does not enter the Sukka, it corresponds to a separate feast. The Sukka corresponds to the light passing through ZA with the help of a screen during the celebration of the seven days of Sukkot. Simchat Torah corresponds to the passing of the light of the Torah, ZA into Malchut and their complete union.

The night preceding Simchat Torah is called „Leil hashana raba. ” It is a special night during which all the Surrounding Light gathers around ZA. As this light is all around ZA this degree is called „night” before its transformation into Inner Light, Ohr Pnimi, that will subsequently enter Malchut.

Any deed performed with an intention „dedicated to the Creator” is spiritual; the same deed performed with a „self-aimed intention” is material and selfish. The beginner Kabbalist finds it very difficult to physically observe the commandments, something easy for religious people, however he must strive to observe them. One of the difficulties for the Kabbalist is that he has to analyze all his thoughts, actions and events according to their impact on his spiritual path. He gauges the importance of these factors in his progression, in his relation with the Creator. As the connection with the Creator fosters higher concentration and inner efforts against selfishness, man meets difficulties in performing physical deeds supposedly linked to the spiritual. No physical deed can have an influence on the spiritual world, the Creator. The relation between man and the Creator is woven in the heart of man. The mechanical observance of the commandments remains necessary because it corresponds to the Creator’s desire.

All efforts made by himself help man progress spiritually. These efforts help him focus on the existence of the Creator while studying Kabbalah so he can understand His deeds and achieve the goal of creation. Selfishness enables us to do something only when it is sure to benefit us and we derive pleasure from it. One must ask the Creator for help during prayer to contain the forces of selfishness. This is the only direct path to Him and as time goes by the connection between man and the Creator will clarify itself and become more sustained. Thanks to this process man begins to understand what happens to him, why he experiences certain feelings and what he needs to do. These new induced states are used as a springboard which propels man to the next spiritual degree, level.

What is a secret or a secret teaching? A secret will continue to exist unless man penetrates it. The same occurs in everyday life which can be obscure and incomprehensible one day, obvious and self-evident the next. Only an individual person can open the doors of a secret and make strenuous efforts to understand what was not clear before.

It is not possible to measure the efforts in our study because they pertain to the sphere of feelings and are therefore difficult to express. It is hard to grasp what other people feel. Generally speaking all efforts made in our world correspond to some selfish activity. A man who transforms his pleasures by seeking small fragments of light usually strives to reach them using the objects of our world. This stems from the fact that he is motivated by selfish needs. In Kabbalah an effort is what man cannot accomplish without hurting his ego. After testing all sorts of possibilities to no avail, man turns to the Creator to send Him his demands. This is a true prayer following a genuine effort.

Only the Creator can lift us out of our selfishness, there is nothing man can do about it. If man still lives under the impression that he can improve spiritually or that there are still some options left, his selfishness will prevent him from genuinely crying out for the Creator. Selfishness will not give in to the benevolence of the Creator as long as man is not convinced that if he refuses to follow the path of spirituality he is dead, and that the journey can only be undertaken with the help of the Creator. This path is not similar to any other as it is impossible to perceive the next move. Each new move takes place in total darkness and past experience is useless in understanding one’s future progression. If it weren’t the case man would use his reason instead of placing his faith in the Creator above his own knowledge and understanding.

The authenticity of one’s efforts and the proper direction can be verified if one constantly redirects his thoughts toward the Creator. One must know that every new sensation is sent by the Creator because it corresponds to His desire. The Creator gives us what we can understand at the present moment. This process is private and cannot be compared to any other. All we can do is become aware of our selfishness, our enemy and face it rather then swinging at windmills. This stage is shared by all men albeit perceived differently by each of them.

There is no direct link between the intensity of our selfishness and the duration of our spiritual journey. Nothing happens from outside, all is based on the energy man invests in his request for help to the Creator. This request is difficult to formulate because selfishness feels humiliated in this battle.

Without the help of the Creator and the spreading of His Light inside the Kli, the Kli will not become altruistic. Without the attributes of the Light, the Kli will remain totally selfish and unable to move toward spirituality. There is no other way to reach spirituality.
After having explored all options, man is convinced there is no way out and his selfishness is ready to accept help. In order to reach this degree man must permanently put the spiritual plane above the physical even if he chooses a completely selfish goal in the beginning, meaning the desire to gain something from spirituality.

We need to use all the means available in the world today. As selfish desires diminish, we need to select means to keep up with our desire to study Kabbalah. Gaining respectability, honors, and power are driving factors followed by the true desire to feel the Creator. Afterwards it becomes important to man’s eyes to do something to please the Creator.

We should never discard the means at our disposal and at the same time never forget that the Creator acts upon us by using the various elements of our world.

FROM THE „SEUDA MAFSEKET” BEFORE „YOM KIPPUR” (THE DAY OF ATONEMENT), 1996

Talmid hakham,” the sage’s student, these terms describe those who study directly with the Creator. What can one study with the Creator? The Creator”s sole attribute is to please His creation. If man desires to acquire this attribute in order to please the Creator just like the Creator pleases man, he becomes „the Creator’s student.”

Provided man makes efforts to work, the Creator will hear his call for help. This process should be sincere as one cannot beat about the bush with the Creator. Spiritual progression is a personal inner path, it is not necessary to reveal it to other people otherwise one’s prayer may be in vain. When spiritual impressions begin to be perceived there are no words to describe them. Therefore a man seeking the divine should never speak about the level where he stands.

Whenever man thinks of nothing else but to progress toward the Creator, when all his time and energy are dedicated to his progression, the Creator will satisfy his desires.
At first man must know what is required for his correction but he does not clearly grasp what a Kli (vessel) is, or that it is ready to receive Divine Light as well as the nature of that Light. The works of Yehuda and Baruch Ashlag provide instructions and a global method to progress spiritually. Baal HaSulam has given us specifics on how to undertake our spiritual progression and draw ourselves closer to the Creator.

Why do we fast during Yom Kippur? If an ill person is asked not to eat for a full day and to dress up in white to cure a disease, he will do it for his own good. This is how most men perform deeds stemming from religious prescriptions.

Commandments must be observed only because they correspond to His Will. We do not understand how the spiritual is connected to our world, and how spiritual worlds take the aspect of our material world.

Man studies: if he understands that he does not understand, this is already a truth. The Creator gives man this impression because he wishes to draw him closer to Him. Conversely, if He does not want man to draw himself closer He will give him satisfaction in his study, work and family. Spiritual progression is possible only when there is a feeling of dissatisfaction.

Generally man is educated to feel his own perfection. This is how teachers strip man’s being of possibilities of rising or falling. In our modern societies education is based on self-satisfaction principles. This kills man because his selfishness is satisfied. The same goes for our spiritual development because only the degree of dissatisfaction fuels the inspiration to go beyond the limits of habits and laziness in order to rise spiritually.

Individual efforts in quantity and quality enable us to achieve the goal we have set for ourselves. All efforts – studying, discussing or disseminating the wisdom of Kabbalah – greatly benefit those who make them. They become a gateway allowing others in our world to become familiar with the Creator.

To be authentic, Kabbalistic knowledge must be bred in man’s heart and feelings. Sciences may be studied but they will not modify the human character, they do not require from the seeker a transformation of his existential outlook. Sciences only deal wth a small part of creation, the outer one which is confined to the narrow limits of our world. Nowadays however science has begun to discover that a relation between the experience and the experimenter exists. In Kabbalah the researcher can only obtain knowledge if his qualities match the ones of the subject of his study.

DINNER FOR ROSH CHODESH TISHREI (THE NEW MOON), SEPTEMBER 1996

The universe is made up of two components: the Creator and his desire to give pleasure and creation and its desire to receive it. The desire to receive pleasure when corrected by an anti-selfishness screen is termed Partzuf,” a spiritual element. When the Partzuf allows the Light of the Creator to enter and dedicates it to the Creator, it realizes the „Zivug de Hakaa.” This action is termed „commandment.” This Light in the Partzuf is called „Torah.” Whenever man performs a physical commandment with spiritual intention, he receives the light of Torah. His selfishness is corrected and two worlds are united.

While observing the commandments in this world, man still needs to define what he wants to obtain. Mechanical observance does not lead to spiritual progression, it only places man on a „spiritually inanimate” level. Only intention can help man enter the spiritual world. It also defines his spiritual level and the degree of perception of the spiritual Light, the Creator. A commandment without intention is like a „spiritless body” meaning that it is performed on the „spiritually inanimate” level.

The teaching of the proper intention is the purpose and task of Kabbalah. Kabbalah represents the hidden part of the Torah and is based in its preliminary teachings on the study of man and on how to define one’s true intentions. Finally man becomes aware of his selfishness and true nature which foster his desire to receive pleasure without considering other people’s opinions, thoughts and desires.

When embarking on his spiritual voyage, man does not know why he gets up early in the morning, studies and attends lectures. All this takes place unconsciously. Only once the Creator has revealed Himself to him does man understand he was guided to act in such a way and everything becomes clear. The worlds cannot exist without man who perceives them. Only when man perceives one of the fragments of the infinite and Endless Light does he call „his world” the fragment perceived. Conversely, all the degrees of the world are latent in man. These degrees of spiritual knowledge correspond to the progressive acquisition of knowledge located beyond the limits of our world.

Man is a selfish point in creation and he must ripen spiritually to progress. Only this maturation, that is to say the opening of the point in the heart, matches the initial incentive, all other actions stem from it.

We are only animated by the desire to feel pleasure at all stages of our development. This desire is termed Klipa” (skin, husk) because this force protects man as long as he has not reached the level where he wishes to remove the skin to enjoy the fruit. The fruit is the mended Klipa, the desire to bestow without return, to please just like the Creator. The Klipa is a spiritual force. The Klipa’s spiritual body is composed of a head and a body. The head of the Kilpa is termed „knowledge” and the body, „desire to receive.” The „head” of a spiritually pure body is called „faith above reason” and the „body” is named” the action of bestowing without return.” Only assiduous study can lift man above undesired states in which he helplessly wallows. Daily study purifiies our thoughts and sets us moving in the right direction.

Question: Why do we say „Le Chaim” (to life) when we drink?

Wine symbolizes the light of „Hochma,” the Light of Life. In order to stress that we receive the Light of Life with the help of a screen we say „Le Chaim.” That way the received Light shines upon us in the name of life. It is not incorrectly received via desires which are not repaired, mended. If this were the case, the Light would disappear and bring „spiritual death.”

Question: Are there wrong or useless questions?

No, because if there is a question this means that a desire needs to be satisfied, hence, the question has the right to be asked. As for the answer, it is a little bit more complex. It is sometimes not possible to provide an answer due to the fact that the feelings of the questioner differ from those of the answer provider. One must find an answer to his own questions.

If man has spiritual worries this means that there are personal ties between him and the Creator. Even if they are not clearly felt these ties exist. Only man can find his own answers even if he does not understand what is going on. The spiritual world is nothing but the desire to receive and the screen (Masach) which opposes it. Decision-making in the Kli (vessel) begins either with a desire (the selfish Kli) or the Masach (a spiritual Kli, bestowing without return) or their merging (spiritual Kli receiving).

Man must strive to accept everything that happens to him as all events are a means to progress spiritually. There is no one recipe for any particular case and man must find out what he can or cannot do as well as apply the methods exposed by our masters. When man realizes that after having tried everything he cannot escape the small universe of his selfishness, he calls God and cries out for help. Selfishness feels that it is the beginning of the end. Only in this dead end situation can the Creator help man because man is now ready to accept His help.

We will all reach the state of „Gmar Tikkun,” the achievement of correction. Whatever happens we will all reach our root in Ein Sof” (endless world). Everything is geared towards the final correction, the end of selfish desires. The notion of „end of the world” in everyday life radically differs from its true meaning in Kabbalah.

The study of true sources can speed up our progression towards the spiritual and allow us to live the spiritual in this life. This way is called the Path of the Torah. Progression can also occur through suffering, following the reincarnation of the soul but in any case the result is the same. The Path of the Torah does not mean reducing suffering or avoiding it. This is not the driving force of the one who follows the Path of the Torah.

Man transforms suffering induced by worldly selfish desires into suffering corresponding to a lack of the spiritual and thus shortens the time left to reach his goal.

DINNER FOR ROSH CHODESH TEVET (THE NEW MOON), TEVET 1995

Man’s desire to know the divine equals the most intense aspiration to know oneself. Selfishness hinders man’s aspiration because man’s nature is to seek self-satisfaction and the saturation of his desires. Everytime man ceases to give in to illusions he immediately wishes to know the CREATOR, his Source, his true nature.

Baal HaSulam was ready to speak to everybody, to look after students and he published a newspaper whose excerpts later became the book, „Matan Torah” (The Gift of the Torah). However, he had very few students who wished to study.The paradox lies in the fact that before there were Kabbalists and no students, while presently many wish to study but there are not any Kabbalists.

IT IS THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY THAT WE FACE SUCH A SITUATION: the desire to study is fostered from below while from Above we find ourselves thrown into increasing spiritual darkness. This is a constructive situation because it bears witness to the fact that if our desire to progress spiritually is genuine, the answers received will be proportional to its intensity.

What defines the power of love between man and the Creator? It is the degree of suffering and passion, the degree of suffering due to the absence of Light inside the Kli and the passion following the penetration of the Divine Light when bonding takes place. This means that if man can feel true desires within himself, his desires will be fulfilled.

The problem of people who try to enter or perceive the spiritual worlds is that they rely on reason while ignoring that it is the product of our selfish nature. This nature prevents us from becoming acquainted with the spiritual world and usually beginners in Kabbalah follow this path.

We are used to increasing our perception of things first and afterwards place faith above reason. This helps us understand that a Kli filled with selfishness matches the desire to feel pleasure and not the intention to please the Creator. A spiritual Kli is the desire to please the Creator through our deeds.

We open books, study and try to understand with our reason. It is however impossible to feel what is spelled out by the intellect. The same goes with the threshold (Machsom) which separates our world from the spiritual world.

OUR PERCEPTION OF THINGS AND OUR BRAIN ARE SECONDARY BECAUSE THEY PROCESS INFORMATION AND SATISFY OUR DESIRES. THE BRAIN IS ONLY AN AUXILLIARY MEAN. AS SOON AS MAN UNDERSTANDS THAT IT IS KEY FOR HIM TO IMPROVE HIS SENSATIONS AND NOT HIS AWARENESS OF THINGS, THE PATH TO SPIRITUALITY CLEARLY OPENS ITSELF TO HIM.

MAN USUALLY DOES NOT TRUST HIS FEELINGS. FIRST HE WANTS TO UNDERSTAND, THEN FEEL AND ACT. SO WHY WAS THE BRAIN GIVEN TO US IF IT IS SUCH AN OBSTACLE? IT WAS GIVEN TO US SO THAT WE MAY USE IT AND AT THE SAME TIME PROGRESS BY PLACING FAITH ABOVE REASON. THE PATH PLACING FAITH ABOVE REASON IS BASED ON TRIAL AND ERROR AND IS FULL OF HARDSHIPS. THIS PATH HELPS MAN REALIZE THAT ALL SITUATIONS IN LIFE ARE HELP SENT BY THE CREATOR TO STIMULATE SPIRITUAL PROGRESSION.

The Creator sends all sorts of forces and they are brought forth so that man can improve his self-control. However, a golden rule needs to be applied and that is secrecy. We must conceal our goal from our own selfishness and even more from other people!! The student in Kabbalah should behave discretely and not mention his goal just to anyone. If this principle is not complied with, the student can attract against him very powerful negative forces.

When Kabbalah students get together, they must neither speak of their love for the Creator nor of their feelings for one another because by doing so they only express their personal opinion and subjective feelings. The distance separating man from the Creator is similar to a ladder with rungs. We occupy the lowest and the Creator, the highest. Our task is to climb up this ladder and reach the Creator. There are several ways to progress. One consists in stimulation from below, it is our path: man longs for spirituality and elevation, begins to read books etc…However, there exists another path with stimulation from Above whereby the Creator lifts us and draws us closer to Him.

What is the difference between these two paths? The stimulation from Above corresponds to the constant uplifting of our world regardless of each and every personal aspiration.

Those who manifest personal aspirations are guided toward the study of Kabbalah and it is preferable for man to take advantage of what has been sent to him. Man must behave seriously in his work as well as with the capacities that are sent to him.

There are 32 sparks (Lamed Bet Nitzotzin) within us and the heart of stone (Lev ha Even). This corresponds to a type of selfishness which can only be corrected when the general Light called „Messiah” comes. Only this type of Light can free us from selfishness. We need to persevere in our efforts to rid ourselves of selfishness and our desire to help the „Messiah” will appear and free the world from its chains.

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

SUFLETUL CA SISTEM ÎN MODELUL UNIVERSULUI

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

System – is a totality of elements that exist in relation to, and in connection with each other, which generates certain integrity – unity.

System characteristics

In our opinion, a soul is a united, total system of the universe; the main feature of which is integrity, that is, the inability to reduce any system to a sum of its parts. This means that where one common soul, called „Adam” exits, only this soul truly exists. All the parts that have become detached from it are not its separate parts, but something completely different. To a level to which they re-unite again into this common structure, they already form a single common organism. That is, any state of each individual soul, each individual object, is defined only by a degree to which it is connected with the remaining objects. Only in this can we find its level or degree, in order to record its state, and to define its quality. We can characterize it only to a level at which it is compatible with the remaining objects, as well as a level to which these separate objects, these separate souls, interconnect with each other; that is, a certain commonality, integrity, essence, structure, and order emerge among them. This structure has a completely new and different quality. It is not a simple sum of these separate objects, but a qualitatively different creation. It is what they create together, thanks to interconnection between each other. What is being created is a new performance, a totally new system.

Hierarchy

Each component of a system sees itself as being the most important part, and as the principle organizer of the remaining parts. Each component of a system behaves in exactly the same way. Each individual soul is the main one in relation to the rest of them.

That is, as a result of the separation of the common soul into parts and the subsequent re-connection, we have a situation when they impose on each other, and each of them acquires qualities of this entire association. It is conditionally agreed that an amount of individual souls after a break up of an original soul, a united object, is six hundred thousand.

So, we used to have a single soul, which broke into six hundred thousand pieces, and now, re-uniting together, these pieces form a new system that is equivalent to the original one, multiplied by six hundred thousand: these are six hundred thousand single souls, existing among each other, imposing on each other’s souls. This means that we get a system, which is absolute, because each of its elements is the main one, defining, and connecting all the rest and at the same time, allowing all the others to get connected to it.

Plurality of descriptions

Plurality of descriptions results from the fact that each original object consists of its four levels: still, vegetative, animated, and human. In turn, each of these levels consist of sub-levels, etc, meaning that, in principal, nature is unlimited in each of its parts and their total interaction. That is why we can describe a system, structure it on each of its levels, and look at it from different angles, all of which, in general, are equivalent. We cannot say which one of these parts is better, worse, higher or lower because if the system is perfect (and it becomes so at the end), then any aspect of it is also perfect. It only expresses this perfection in a different way – in a different language. A man can be described as a plant, an animal, a biological, social, or spiritual element. This will include all of his information.

In the eyes of a psychologist or a philosopher the personality of a human is a systematic object in that it is a part of different systems (physical, social, etc.); a human is an active subject; and the personality itself is a special system in that it is a open and developing system. In this regard, some specific characteristics can be added to the common ones, such as purposeful existence of complex technical living, and social systems, and their ability to self-organize – change their own structure.

The Science of Kabbalah has an opportunity to examine a human soul as an open self-developing system of the universe and to search for new characteristics of this system and new ways of its functioning.

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

SUBIECTE ALESE DIN CABALA

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

LABOR OF THE HEART

Prayer is the labor of the heart. It expresses desires coming from the heart. Yet man has no power over these desires themselves. He has been created in such a way that he never really knows what to seek or what his own true intentions are. Therefore also the essential nature of his prayers is ungraspable.

Conversely, everything expressed in the prayer book is what man must learn to want. If man works on himself to direct and control his desires and thoughts he will reach the level of desires and requests of the authors of the prayer book, the members of the Great Assembly (who wrote the Jewish prayer book two thousand years ago during a long exile).

In order for a person to harmoniously match his desires to those of the authors of the prayer book, several preliminary steps are required. He must understand the nature of evil and what it brings about, namely, that man is essentially egotistically inclined. He must understand that egoism is the source of evil. Furthermore, all this must be realized and felt at the deepest and most intense part of his soul.

THE EVOLUTION OF SOULS

.Everything is grasped through comparison. By comparing the Creator’s attributes to ours we realize both His might and our lowness. One needs to be thus aware of His magnificence and His omnipotence. Faith means actually feeling the Creator and His Presence.

All souls go through the following stages:

  1. The phase which precedes their descent into our world.
  2. The phase during which they are endowed with a certain deficiency termed selfishness. This is what souls perceive as physical incarnation
  3. The phase during which souls perceive themselves and the entire spiritual universe after the ultimate consummation.

The phase preceding the initial descent of souls is called „Olam Ein Sof”, the endless world where souls endlessly receive the light of the Creator. Afterwards the soul is enclothed in selfishness and descends to „olam ha ze”, this world, where its link to the spiritual world is remote. It no longer feels the Creator and no longer perceives its previous condition.

„This world” refers to the perception of the present moment, that is to say the part of creation, of the Creator we currently perceive by means of our sense organs. The selfishness is seated within the senses.

The next level is attained by bringing the sense organs under control. This higher level brings a wider perception of creation. This level is felt before the process of attaining „the world to come”, the world we will perceive supersensually, as opposed to the « real » one we live in now.

Both worlds are nevertheless currently perceived within our physical body. When we perceive our environment, and ourselves we perceive our, „his world”. However, it is in the present that we begin to contemplate the future and the sensation induced by projecting oneself into the future is termed „the world to come”. The process repeats itself „the next day” when the „world to come” becomes „this world” and so on .

A close examination of Baal HaSulam’s writings may help us understand the process we go through at every moment.

Concerning man’s spiritual behavior, ascent can only follow the „middle line” (i.e. behavior not polarized to its extras). Progression along this middle line establishes the condition in which Torah-the Creator-Israel merge into one thing.

THE WORK OF TORAH

The Creator is the source that man yearns for.

The Torah is the light, which fills man at the present moment.

Israel is man himself, that is, his desire to bond with the Creator.

How can these totally independent concepts be identical?

The goal of creation consists in creating man in this world so that he can cleave to the Creator while yet living in his physical body. Man ascends and crosses spiritual worlds to reach the Creator. More exactly, spiritual worlds penetrate him to such an extent that he and the Creator become identical. This is what union with the Creator means. One loves the Creator, follows His ways, and observes His commandments. At this level, all of man’s qualities, desires, and attributes have become identical to those of the Creator.

The Torah is given to man so he can access this perfect and eternal level and fulfill the purpose of creation. The Torah can only be given to man after his descent into this world where he is endowed with a physical body and selfishness. Angels cannot receive the Torah because amongst all creatures only man possesses absolute selfishness.

If man chooses the path of the Torah, he can neutralize his selfish body and desires in such a way that they will no longer act as an obstacle between him and the Creator. Man and the Creator unite. This union is a throwback to the Procreation State, before the descent of the soul into this world, before the soul is „handicapped” by selfishness. Moreover, by correcting his selfishness man can climb the rungs of the spiritual ladder and reach the level of the Creator. Some creatures are devoid of selfishness and therefore have no tool to progress and remain at their initial level.

Except man, all creatures are said to be „spiritually inanimated, motionless”. Even angels, the divine forces through which the Creator rules creation, are not independent „force-desires” but only executors of His will. Man, by transforming his very developed selfish desires can become equal to the Creator.

The soul is a part of the Creator placed in man. Man is born with an envelope of selfishness and can no longer perceive neither the Creator nor anything spiritual. Selfishness permeates his sense organs, which possess qualities opposed to spirituality. When man transforms his selfishness into altruism by removing his selfish envelope, he begins to perceive the essence of creation in such a way that nothing separates him from the Creator. At this point the three above-mentioned concepts unite.

Our task is to remove, with the help of the Torah, all obstacles between the soul and the Creator. Of all Torah studies Kabbalah is the most efficient because it draws towards man a ray of light of the highest intensity while he is studying.

SELFISHNESS

There is no such thing as motion from one world to the other in spiritual „space”. There are only inner states, which enable us to perceive our inner envelope. It is the Creator that we perceive but this perception is clouded by screens representing the different manifestations of our selfishness. The perception of the Creator, creation and space, as obstacles are suppressed, is progressively revealed but we are not aware of it. The portions of selfishness that we remove correspond to the levels of the spiritual ladder or „worlds” we ascend. Worlds are nothing more than degrees of perception that we have of the Creator.

Selfishness, which separates our perception from true knowledge, can only be found in man. This is not the case with the Creator because perfection and openness define his relation to man. The absence of the Creator is only felt by a man who dissimulates the worlds from himself, as if he were hiding behind the veils of his own selfishness.

The removal of selfishness does not occur all at once. In the beginning, the Creator grants man periods of time corresponding to lives in this world as an opportunity to elevate himself spiritually. Man is master of the whole process. During each of his consecutive lives, man must remove a certain part of his selfish nature and draw himself closer to the Creator. Man will repeat a new life as long as he does not correct himself. Correction means that his desires termed „body” in Kabbalah will no longer form a barrier between him and the Creator. When this occurs man’s attributes will bond him with the Creator regardless of the world in which man finds himself.

The abandonment of one’s selfish envelope is called „terrestrial death” leading to rebirth in our world. The corrected parts of the soul’s selfishness merge and a kind of „redistribution” takes place. This is because all souls are but one creation and all envelopes are but pure selfishness. The correction of the original soul was made possible by splitting into parts the one and only creation, Adam’s soul. These parts are individual souls and it is easier to correct each fragment than to correct the whole.

This explains why souls move from one world to another during their correction. When the correction is completed, all individualized souls will be once again brought together within the primordial desire. The primordial soul will receive all of the Creator’s light revealing his perfection .

There is, ultimately, only the endless world, the world of perfect bonding with the Creator. Outside that world, all that man perceives is nothing but fragments of the infinite perfection, the endless world.

One fragment of the endless world is called „Adam Kadmon”, the following one „Atzilut” then „Briah” then „Yetzira” and „Assiah”. The smallest fragment of the endless world corresponds to our world. In other words, the endless world as we see it with our senses contracts to reach the size of our world. When our perception broadens we can call this world, for example, the world of Briah and so on. It all depends on the scope of our perception.

The subject of our studies is only man. Besides man and his sensations there is only the endless world The Malchut of the endless world must go through numerous corrections. Nothing is created in vain.

The Baal HaSulam quotes the example of a small insect in the jungle, spending all his life to find food and whose existence is totally unknown. Even this insect and all his parts are very important for the fulfillment of ultimate consummation.

Nothing is created in vain by the Creator, and all events occur in harmony with the goal we are nearing. As far as we are concerned this process takes place whether we want it or not, whether we understand it or totally ignore it. Everything progresses towards the fulfillment of correction as planned by the Creator, towards His complete revelation to all creatures in this world.

The various parts of Malchut of the endless world differ in the intensity of their desires. They correspond in our world to the parts of the natural kingdom – mineral, vegetal, animal, human. Similarly mankind is composed of many types of peoples.

Why, then, do we study man so closely and not in the spiritual correction, say, what stones, for example, need to accomplish? Haven’t they been placed in our world to reach the purpose of Creation?

Man is set apart. The correction of nature depends on human correction. By working on himself, man „animates” nature to help it reach the state of full correction.

Man himself however has not received the Torah of our world in the same way: the peoples of the world have received 7 commandments, the Jews 613. These commandments are also observed different ways depending on the number of corrections a soul must carry out when coming to this world. Being born to the nation or the Jews does not grant any specific privileges. The Jews have more corrections to perform, the others less.

PRECEPTS AND SPIRITUALITY

Individuals need to observe mitzvot according to their natures. However, this does not depend on their desire to come closer to the Creator; many believers and non believers never ask themselves questions about the Creator, the purpose of Creation, corrections and so forth.

These men have simply not received from above the desire to transform themselves and they perform mechanically what tradition has taught them. It is those mechanical gestures, which differentiate men, nations, man and wife, and children and adults.

Clearly, a man who wishes to elevate himself spiritually has received this aspiration from the Creator. He will therefore be different from another man who has not received the same aspiration from above.

Hence, men should not be distinguished according to their appearance, race or gender. Whether or not they should study Kabbalah is not the issue. Those who study it are simply those who have received the call from above and express the desire to study it. Among women there are also examples such as the prophetesses Deborah and Hulda who were also Kabbalists.

Angels are robots who perform certain tasks in the spiritual world: they „move” things from one place to „another”, nothing more. They cannot grow spiritually or move through various spiritual levels like human beings. They are spiritual forces acting on each spiritual level.

Degrees of prophecy result from personal efforts. In our world there is only the Creator, man and the path leading man to the Creator, who is called Torah. Man’s environments (society, family, friends) are only sheaths separating him from the Creator and through which he influences us. Man is placed in often complex and unbearable situations, sometimes leading to suffering and disappointments.

HOW DO WE COME INTO THE WORLD

The Creator removes from Himself a tiny part (so to speak) and implants in it selfishness. This „universal” selfishness then breaks smaller selfish parts. Thereafter, a progressive reintegration of those parts causes the creation of the Upper Worlds, Atzilut, Briah, Yetsira, Assiah. The purest „fragments” are used for the creation of the highest spiritual worlds. Later, the most selfish desires, the very heart of creation, the Malchut of the Endless World brings about the creation of the soul of Adam, the first man. Then, after the sin of Adam, again the spark of Godliness, trapped in selfishness subdivides itself again into smaller and smaller fragments, that form our souls.

Beginners who study Kabbalah often do not perceive how the world is ruled. They ask whether actions depend on our choice or on the Creator? Before a man can launch a project he must be convinced that his actions have consequences. Yet after succeeding, „paradoxically”, he must understand that all depends solely on the Creator. If we think this way, we will progress correctly.

There are things, which can only be felt, not explained. The incarnation of the spiritual in the material is difficult to describe in words. Modern science may justify itself, but how can the process by which one world takes the shape of another be explained? Kabbalistic explanations are only possible up to the point when Adam’s soul is fragmented. This is not because Kabbalists do not wish to provide more explanations, but because the explanation pertains to what a man feels and cannot explain.

Selfishness is such a powerful spiritual force that the thought of getting rid of it hardly ever crosses our mind. In order to know ourselves we need to look at ourselves from outside, to feel something different other than ourselves, to compare ourselves to something outside of us.

Surrounding objects are perceived because they are made up of the same selfishness. Otherwise they would remain invisible. Selfishness takes many forms. Its most restricted form is the one that can only perceive itself. This is the perception that man has in our world. We are so selfish that we can only perceive ourselves.

When we „grow” a little bit, our selfishness reaches beyond the limits of our world and we begin to perceive the Creator. Our selfishness becomes spiritual. Our desire is no longer based on physical or worldly pleasure but on spiritual enjoyment brought by the light of the Creator.

Man is only animated by conscious or unconscious desires. Our reason is given to us in order to help us make sense of and achieve all our desires. Hence man cannot rise above his desires. Motivated by his desires and emotions, man first directs the course of his actions and becomes conscious of them teleological only afterwards after the choice.

How does he indeed become conscious of an event, which takes place? In reaction to man’s actions the Creator manifests by degrees, His almightiness in order to give man a more aware retrospective awareness of the consequences of his actions. Even remembering our way of acting depends on the Creator. He will teach us the meaning of our actions by responding to us, giving us pleasure or suffering according to our merit or guilt.

Our education is therefore a process, which unfolds every second, but it cannot make us correct ourselves in any way. We only need to become aware of our selfishness and how helpless we are when we confront it. The Creator looks after everything which is not part of this awareness. The more man advances on a spiritual path, the more he moderates his self-esteem and the more he understands his true nature. As the Creator unveils himself, man gradually realizes what he actually is with respect to the Creator.

When we realize this, we progress along the spiritual path. Imagine a person who has achieved 99% of his correction. The remaining 1% that is not corrected appears much bigger than the previous 99%. The „small chaff in the eye” seems enormous.

Our actions and our study enable us to become aware of the Creator and of ourselves. When man realizes his absolute insignificance he despairs. He does not see the Creator and the whole world seems dark to him. If while in this dark state, a man bears in mind that the spiritual source of all this is nothing but the Creator of whom he can ask things and upon whom all matters depends, he will become aware of his spiritual link with the Creator. He will then cease to despair. He will understand that these seemingly negative conditions are sent temporarily from above and that they are unavoidable.

The way we connect ourselves to the Creator does not matter to him. The most important is for man to understand that He exists. The Creator sends desires so that we can react to Him and grow spiritually.

THE INTENTION BEHIND OUR GESTURES

I do not make myself well understood and this is my drawback. When one lays the emphasis on spiritual and inner development, mechanical observance is not put forward. It is simply not evoked. The attention is focused on the intention behind the commandment not on its physical observance. A third party might conclude that physical observance is neglected.

It is said: „a commandment without intent is like a body without a soul” (mitsvah bli kavanah keguf bli neshamah). The difference between kabbalists and believers, non-believers, Jews, Goןm (gentiles) lies in the fact that Kabbalists want to develop the intention placed within the gestures. They do not contemplate gestures as such. The way to observe commandments concerns the revealed (conventional) Torah. It is described in the Jewish Code of Law (the „Shoulchan Aroukh”). The laws described in this code are to be followed by all. They are easily understandable and do not require any prerequisites.

The intention placed in the performance of precepts has no importance and the commandments do not transform man or oblige him to spiritual growth. These commandments can be repeatedly performed by an individual without modifying the selfish person that he was when he first became an observant.

Usually the observance of law is a matter of education. One is not asked whether one wants to observe them or choose to be free to act in a certain way. One is educated from the cradle and one’s behavior is conditioned by habits. These habits are called „guirsa de yankuta”. Promises of all the blessings of this world and of the world to come strengthen these habits. As man is selfish, he enjoys and accepts those promises. Moreover many conditions are set for him, far better than those of ordinary people who do not follow the commandments.

MODERN TIMES

Nowadays, because spiritually „mature” souls descend into our world, the above mentioned education becomes insufficient. Man needs to let his intention be modified to match his desires. Kabbalah enables man to change his selfish intentions into altruistic ones. Using a screen (masach) one begins to work on his self aimed desires with the intention of directing them toward the Creator.

The process of correcting selfishness is called „the spiritual observance of the commandments”. Man is endowed with desires so that he may develop his intention to use them „by turning them toward the Creator”. These desires were not his so long as he did not have the capacity to create a screen (masach) .

These desires are new; they are of spiritual nature which means that they correspond to the desire to rejoice in the divine presence. These desires are cultivated in a man capable of building a screen in the form of selfish desires to rejoice in the Creator. These desires are termed „klipot” (shells) or „impure desires”. At this stage man has overcome worldly desires such as sex, wealth, fame, power, and craves for more spiritual pleasures.

There are 613 impure desires. They are born in man and range from the easiest to the most difficult ones to correct. When man acquires a screen against receiving for himself alone (klipa), one endows oneself with an intention „turned toward the Creator” (kedusha). One’s corrected desires can then receive spiritual „light”, feel the Creator, and they lead to the joy of having equivalence of form with the Creator.

The correction of desires corresponds to what is called the observance of commandments. The spiritual light received is the perception of the Creator which corresponds to the Torah.

It is clear that the physical observance of the commandments differs from their spiritual one. However inner spiritual observance does not prevent or cancel the physical one. It is exactly because one who observes a commandment lives in both worlds that one can reconcile within oneself the two modes of observance.

From the above it follows that the physical observance of a code of law does not affect the spiritual worlds. This is what is meant by the sentence „a commandment without intent is like a body without a soul” – spiritually dead. A commandment cannot be inspired by a „li chema” intention when its corresponding gestures do not refer to a spiritual observance. A man may be handless and still observe all spiritual commandments requiring „spiritual hands”, i.e. spiritual desires.

Our soul is referred to as a body, „partsouf”. It is composed of 613 parts, the attributes of our biological body. Each of the 613 parts of this spiritual „body”, this partsouf, corresponds to a specific desire. The partsouf divides itself into two parts, two types of desires: the ones corresponding to the desire to give without restraint (lehashpia al menat lehashpia) and the ones corresponding to the desire to receive without restraint, but not for one’s own satisfaction (lekabel al menat lehashpia).

DIVISION OF DESIRES

The 613 desires of the soul are divided into 248 positive desires, through which man can acquire a „li chema” intention, and 365 negative desires man cannot use in order to gain a „li chema” intent. The difference between the two desires has nothing to do with intention. In both cases the intention is naturally and exclusively „turned toward the Creator”. The difference lies in the power of the desire itself: if the desire is weak it will not awaken intense pleasure. However, this desire enables one to feel the bond with the Creator. The pleasure sensed is called the pleasure to give without restraint. That is to say the desire to please the Creator as it is only possible to please Him by receiving from him. But since this desire cannot be felt with sufficient intensity, it cannot truly give to the Creator. This desire exists only at the level of equivalence of form with the Creator.

All desires born in man are selfish desires. This is the desire to receive for one’s own pleasure. Only the intention „turned toward the Creator” will transform it into an altruistic desire. Hence the difference solely lies in the intent.

That’s what makes Kabbalah so important. It helps us transform our intent. The intention „turned toward the Creator” is called „screen” because it prevents one from „receiving for oneself” and generates the intention „turned towards the Creator”.

BIRTH OF THE SOUL

This transformation is called „the birth” of the soul because the soul corresponds to the desires turned toward the Creator. When this phase takes place it reveals the soul of man. It is the intensity of this new desire, which helps man begin to sense the Creator. This desire to receive pleasure coupled with an intention „turned toward the Creator”, fills itself with His presence, spiritual bliss and light (all these are synonyms of one and the same sensation).

The right intentions appear progressively along with the study of Kabbalah. Kabbalah is the science of intent (kavanah), enabling man’s heart to long for spirituality. If man studies Kabbalah but cannot grant an altruistic twist to his intention while studying, this corresponds to the „lo li chema” period during which there is no orientation toward the Creator. At this stage man still works for himself and he belongs to his selfish desires, to our world. This is the level preceding the crossing of the makhsom (barrier).

If man does not care about the transformation of his intention, he is not at the „lo li chema” level. The gestures he makes are lifeless. However, all beings must eventually return to the Creator. The change of perspective will take place for those who observe mechanically as well. They will be obliged to clarify their relation to life, to its source, the Creator, and move from „lo li chema” to „li chema”. In any case physical gestures are justified but man must strive to surpass their limits. This is what makes Kabbalists different.

IS THE MESSIAH A FORCE OR A MAN

The messiah is a spiritual force, it is the Light which penetrates self aimed human desires to correct them so that they become altruisitc that is to say identical to those of the Creator.In our world all spiritual forces are manifested in material garments.

For example Rabbi Shimon , the ARI , Yehuda Ashlag represent a spiritual force radiating the Light of correction. This force appears in our world as a man, a kabbalist, a professor, a book author. Therefore the Messiah is a guide who becomes progressively accepted by mankind. Mankind will follow the path pointed by the Messiah because evil and suffering will be felt by all and there will be no other way out. People stand on a level where they cannot imagine the coming of the Messiah as a Light but only as a human leader. But for Kabbalists the Messiah is the spiritual force of correction (in the image of the world of A’B-SA”G)

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

PERFECŢIUNEA ŞI LUMEA

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

As we know the essence of the Creator’s commandments is in love, that we give the maximum attention and compassion to all people in society, just as we do to ourselves. Let us try to see if we can take this on faith.

Maybe it is also possible to check this practically. I think the reader will appreciate my dislike to empty philosophising. Our generation knows better than others how such false philosophies can be implemented in practice. Then, millions of people may suffer just because some theoretical ideas taken as a base are proven false and/or misleading. Thus, the whole theory may come crashing down..

Is it possible by studying the world and its laws, basing our conclusions on fact, we can come the conclusion that it’s necessary to follow the Creator’s demands.

When we are watching the existing order in nature, we are amazed by the incredible control that is evident (both in micro and in macro worlds). Let’s take for an example something which is close to us – man himself.

A cell from the father comes to a safe, protected place in the mother. There it receives all that it needs for growth and development. Nothing can hurt it until it is born and becomes a separate organism. Even later, nature gives the parents the necessary feeling for their baby. Thus the child is absolutely sure of the love and care of those around him..

Just like man, so do the animals and plants take great care of their offspring and their next generations. However, after the new organism, the new individual is born, he has to start a struggle for survival which intensifies as time goes on. This is in stark contrast to the warmth and care he is surrounded with in the beginning. This amazing contradiction in the question of control in this world has occupied the mind of mankind from ancient times. It has also brought about the creation of many theories.

EVOLUTION. This ancient theory does not find it necessary to resolve the contradiction. The Creator has made the world and controls everything. Being as the evolutionists believe unfeeling and unthinking, He creates a species in accordance with strict physical laws. Having appeared, the species develops according to evolution, adhering to the strict principle of „the strongest survive”. According to this theory the Creator is called „nature”, thus emphasizing his lack of feelings and emotions..

DUALISM. We know that the incredible wisdom of nature far exceeds man’s possibilities. Thus predicting and „programming” future creations and organisms has to include some sort of feed-back. Also the side that is giving (nature) has to have intellect, memory and feelings. For it is impossible to claim that in all levels of nature only mere chance rules.

This chain of thought brought about the idea of the existence of two forces..One is positive and the other negative. They have intellect and feelings and they endow these qualities to all that is created by them. The development of this dualism theory has brought about the creation of some others:.

„Many Gods” while analyzing the actions of nature and sorting them according to different character traits, some religions have appeared (like the ancient Greek) having many gods. According to this belief, each of these gods is controlling a certain power, a certain field..

The lack of control (uncontrolability) Recently, with the appearence of new instruments and new technological methods, many scientists have discovered a link between various fields in our world. Thus the theory of „many forces” controlling the world has been abandoned and some new ideas have appeared. Basically, the idea is that there has to be one force which bonds us and wisely controls the whole world. Since mankind is so small and negligible compared to this force, we (as mankind) are actually left to our own devices..

However, despite all the different theories of the creation of this world and its control, mankind still suffers. And man still doesn’t understand why nature has treated him with such tnederness and care while in his mother’s womb, but turns out to be so merciless later. In the years when he is older, it would seem that he needs nature’s care even more. A question appears: Aren’t we ourselves the very reason for nature’s crulety to the living world.

All of the actions of nature are intertwined. Thus when we break one of its rules the entire system becomes unbalanced. It doesn’t matter whether we talk about Nature as a „leader” or about the Creator having a plan, a certain goal and great wisdom.

Either Nature or the Creator (which is unimportant in principle) act on us through certain laws and rules. We have to follow them since they are objective and enforcing. (Incidentllly, according to the Kabbalah, the numeric value of the word „Elokim” – God is equal to the numeric value of the world „Tevah” – Nature. This demonstrates the link between us and the creator through the laws of nature). For us it is important to understand the laws of nature. We know that if we don’t keep these laws we will suffer. It is quite obvious that man needs the company of other people. If someone would suddenly decide he wants to isolate himself from society, he would condemn himself to a life full of suffering. He would not be able to provide for himself all the things he would need.

It is Nature itself which makes man live within society, with other people like him. Within this life he is involved in two operations. He is „getting” from society all that he needs. On top of that he has „to give”, to ensure society of his production, of his work. He who breaks one of these commitments also disturbs the balance and deserves to be punished by society. When someone is guilty of excessive „getting” (for example theft!) the punishment comes immediately. When on the other hand someone refuses „to give” of himself to society the punishment as a rule doesn’t come at all. So this condition of „giving” of your talents and skills to society isn’t often kept.

Nature on the other hand acts like a just judge punishing mankind in accordance with its development. According to the Torah, the changing of the generations in our world menas only the appearance and disappearance of the bodies of the people. The soul on the other hand, the one that fills the body is the main „Me” of the person. It carries his wishes, character, thoughts written on a material „carrier” – the brain cells. This soul does not disappear, but only changes the carrier. The number of the souls is limited (constant) and their turn around, their coming down to our world „dressed” in new bodies is what gives us a new generation of people.

So as for the souls all the gneration from first to last can be considered as one generation. Its life goes on from the time of mankind’s birth a few millenia ago. It will go on until mankind’s death and it doesn’t matter how many different forms each soul will take in different bodies. Death doesn’t affect the soul because it is made of a „higher matter”. Just in the same way as cutting our hair or nails doesn’t effect our body and its life.

Having created and given to us his worlds, the Creator has given us a task; we should strive to meet and converge with him. This should be done through spiritual growth, bonding and uplifting ourselves. But a big question ariese: Should mankind obey the Creator’s will. The Kabbalah shows the complete picture of the ways in which we are controlled, and the result is surprising. It turns out that whether it is out of free will or through suffering we eventually reach the same conclusion. It can happen in this life or the next one, it can happen because of physical, social or economic forces affecting us. Sooner or later each one of us and eventually mankind as a whole will have to accept the idea: The goal and purpose of the Creation should be ur goal and purpose in life!.

At the end of all generations, everyone will reach this goal. The only difference is the route chosen to reach this goal. The person who strives for this goal will doubly benefit. He receives pleasure out of his „converging” with the Creator and this comes instead of suffering. The dramatic point is that mankind doesn’t yet imagine all the misfortunes that it will have to face. As we know the goal to strive for is alreay set and the laws of the Torah are unchangeable. And so whether its our own personal suffering or some periodic global catastrophe, each one of us is drawn to the right idea. We have to follow the Creator’s commandments. We should free ourselves from egoism, envy, and develop the feelings of compassion, mutual help and love..

(înapoi la pagina ARTICOLE RAV M.LAITMAN – click)

error: Content is protected !!